After a successful first round of cleanups on May 3, in which Historic Cemeteries 23-25 on Cedar Ave, Cemetery 62 on Wine Street, and Cemetery 31 on Sleepy Hollow Road were addressed, the East Greenwich Historic Cemetery Advisory Commission will be continuing the process of eventually getting every cemetery back into the condition it should be in.  In doing so, we are pleased to announce that preparations are in full swing for our next cleanup June 21. While specific cemeteries haven’t officially been identified, and won’t be until the commission’s meeting June 3, we are reaching out to the public now for your help.  If you are interested in helping us clean and rehabilitate a cemetery on this date please contact the commission’s vice chair and volunteer coordinator ML Formisano at [email protected]  by June 1 and she will be happy to assist you. Don’t feel overwhelmed about this endeavor, you will be in a group setting and you will not be assigned anything that is beyond your skill level, a majority of the work will be simply raking and trimming, with Commission members doing more of the “heavy lifting,” so don’t let the term “cleanup” intimidate you, we will treat you well.

With 91 historic cemeteries in East Greenwich, chances are there is at least one within walking distance of your home.  So even if this date does not work for you there will be plenty of future cleanups and eventually we will get to one closer to you or have a cleanup on a date that fits into your schedule. Better yet, for you ambitious folks, you don’t have to wait for us to target a cemetery that you want cleaned, or wait for one of our official cleanups. Since the formation of the commission one resident has begun rehabilitating a cemetery on her property with guidance and input from the commission and Boy Scout John Condon and his troop have begun the process of rehabilitating Historic Cemetery 47 at the intersection of Middle Road and Howland. In addition, the Republican Town Committee has adopted Cemetery 6  in Stone Ridge and have put in a significant amount of time and effort in raising its condition level. So if there’s one near you that you want to target we can provide guidance and assistance in the matter and provide you with all the information you need.

The East Greenwich Historic Cemetery Advisory Commission was formed in December 2013 and is tasked with restoring and rehabilitating the 91 area historic cemeteries, amongst other duties, including raising public awareness. Consisting of five members appointed by the Town Council we are happy to serve the town and look forward to future cleanups and to continue the process of getting these cemeteries back into the condition they belong in.